1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording apparatus for imagewisely exposing an elongate web such as photographic film and developing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a recording apparatus such as a processor camera or the like, it is necessary that the processing after development be effected with the film feed speed maintained substantially constant so that no irregularity of processing may occur to the film. On the other hand, image exposure of the film is usually effected intermittently and in some cases, it is interrupted for a considerably long time and therefore, the film is intermittently fed from the exposure station to the processing station subsequent to the development and, if the exposure interruption time is long, the feed of the film is interrupted for a long time.
In order to adjust such a difference in film feed characteristic between the exposure station and the processing station, it is known to provide a storage chamber between the exposure station and the processing station so that the film exposed to images is temporally stored in the storage chamber. In such a recording apparatus, a development switch for instructing the feed of the film in the storage chamber to the processing station is provided and by depression of this development switch, the feed of the film from the storage chamber to the processing station is started. If the exposure operation is interrupted for a long time after the feed of the film to the processing station has been started, the amount of film in the storage chamber decreases and when the amount of stored film has reached an amount approximate to the minimum amount, the film is automatically cut by a cutter between the exposure station and the processing station or unexposed film is continuously fed (idly fed) from the exposure station to the processing station during the interruption, whereby development of the exposed film is carried out always constantly. However, if the film is cut each time the amount of stored film reaches an amount approximate to the minimum amount, associated images are recorded on separate films and this leads to the disadvantage that these films must be connected together to enable the films to be utilized with a reader or the like after development.
Also, if, during the interruption of the exposure operation, unexposed film is continuously fed from the exposure station to the processing station, the unexposed film will be wastefully consumed and, as the interruption time becomes longer, more of the film is wasted.
Further, the amount of film which can be stored in the storage chamber is limited and therefore, when the amount of stored film reaches the maximum amount, the film may not be fed from the exposure station to the storage chamber. This is because, if the storage chamber stores the film beyond its capacity, the feed of the film will be hindered in the storage chamber or the processing station.
Accordingly, when the amount of stored film reaches the maximum storage capacity, the feed of the film to the processing station is automatically started so as to decrease the amount of film in the storage chamber, whereby the feed of the film from the exposure station to the storage chamber is again made possible.
However, as previously described, the exposure operation is effected intermittently and therefore, if the feed of the film to the processing station is automatically started when the amount of film in the storage chamber has reached the maximum storage capacity, and if the exposure operation is interrupted for a long time without the film being exposed to images during the time that the amount of film in the storage chamber decreases, the amount of film in the storage chamber will finally reach the minimum amount. When the amount of stored film reaches the minimum amount, the unexposed film is drawn out from the exposure station into the storage chamber by the drive force of the film feeding mechanism of the processing station, and the film in the exposure station is idly fed. When the exposure operation is resumed to record an image associated with the previously recorded image when the film is being idly fed, a blank is created between the final exposed section on the previously recorded film and the top exposed section on the film recorded during the resumption. Thus, no problem would occur where there is no necessity of resuming the exposure of the associated image during the idle feed, whereas in a case where it is desired to resume the exposure of the associated image and yet time has been taken in arranging the originals to be recorded or the like, there is a problem that useless blanks are created on the film even if an attempt is made to record a new associated image in continuation to the so far recorded images.
Also, in the recording apparatus of this type, if a loop-like film is stored in such state within the storage chamber for a long time, the film tends to be curled and may clog the path when the film is fed from the storage chamber to the processing station.